RLTV, the only cable network that specifically targets the 50+ audience, announced today the selection of boutique public relations and communications firm McReynolds Elek Communications as its public relations agency of record.

“The team at McReynolds Elek has a solid track record in delivering results that support the growth and success of cable networks, from startups to mature channels, and we look forward to partnering with them to help us grow our business and build our brand, both within the industry and among consumers,” said RLTV Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications E. J. Conlin.

BBDO, part of Omnicom Group, has reclaimed business the business of Visa; the credit card giant dropped BBDO in 2005 after a two-decade relationship. The move means that global lead creative duties will be reallocated from Omnicom Group sibling TBWA to BBDO.

A Visa spokesperson explained: “Our decision to designate BBDO as lead creative agency reflects our desire to deliver seamless communication across all channels in all markets.”

The National Black Programming Consortium/BlackPublicMedia.org has chosen to work with IAM Advertising, an ad agency run by students from the Innovation in Advertising and Media High School in Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood.  IAM Advertising is the first accredited agency in the country run by high-school students and has been tasked with promoting a new PBS documentary series, “DC Met: Life Inside School Reform.” The series documents the lives of staff and students at DC Met, an alternative high school in Washington, D.C.

A recent survey conducted by YouGov BrandIndex in order to gauge the public’s perceptions of Olympics advertisers may prove that the coveted ad slots and expensive sponsorships are worthy investments, especially for certain brands with PR problems.

According to Ad Age, surveyors posed the same question for each brand: “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?” YouGov then derived scores ranging from 100 to -100 by subtracting negative feedback from positive (For instance, a score of zero means a brand received equal parts positive and negative feedback).

Oil company and international pariah BP, whose public image has soured since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf Of Mexico, reportedly saw its score jump from a negative 5.9 in the week prior to the Olympics to a positive 2.6 during the first week of the games thanks to ads like this one. Only Visa, which, according to YouGov, spent $100 million to be a “Worldwide Olympic Partner”, saw its brand perception rise more during the same time period. Ted Marzilli, global managing director for YouGov’s BrandIndex service, told Ad Age, “We have seen the recovery with BP over the last year and a half…but I think its association with the Olympics is showing benefits.”

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Restaurant chain Denny’s has selected ICR as its AOR, handling corporate, financial, and crisis communications. Hill & Knowlton had been handling corporate, crisis, and consumer PR for Denny’s until this summer. At that time, CEO Nelson Marchioli was replaced with interim CEO Debra Smithart-Oglesby.

“When the CEO left, we weren’t interested in participating in a review,” Lori Robinson, SVP and director of marketing and business development at H&K told PRWeek (sub req’d).

ICR lists Visa and Chipotle among the selected clients on its website.

The consumer work with Erwin-Penland is an expansion on previous projects the firm has done with Denny’s including menus and local support.